Suchergebnisse

Intro -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of Boxes -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Basis: Past Climate Observations and Methods -- 2.1 Observations of Weather and Climate -- 2.2 Historical Climate Observations -- 2.2.1 Documentary and Early Instrumental Data -- 2.2.2 From National Weather Services to a Global Observing System -- 2.3 Upper-Air and Satellite Observations -- 2.4 Data Dissemination in the Course of Time -- 2.5 Uncertainties in Climatic Data -- 2.5.1 Uncertainties and Errors in Measurement Series -- 2.5.2 Inhomogeneities and Homogenisation -- 2.5.3 The Chain of Uncertainties -- 2.6 Data Products and Dynamical-Statistical Methods -- 2.6.1 Spatial Information and Geostatistical Methods -- 2.6.2 Data Assimilation and Reanalyses -- 2.7 Climate Models -- 2.7.1 Characteristics of Climate Models -- 2.7.2 Types of Climate Models and Experiments -- 2.7.3 Downscaling, Nudging, and Other Techniques -- 2.8 Palaeoclimate Information and Techniques -- 2.8.1 Climate Proxies -- 2.8.2 Problems Arising When Working with Proxies -- 2.8.3 Calibration and Modelling of Proxies -- 2.8.4 Climate Reconstructions -- 2.8.5 Data Assimilation in Palaeoclimatology -- 2.9 Datasets Used in This Book -- 2.9.1 Overview -- 2.9.2 Observations and Reanalyses -- 2.9.3 Model Simulations -- 2.9.4 Reconstructions and Offline Assimilation -- 2.9.5 Conclusions -- 3 The Machinery: Mechanisms Behind Climatic Changes -- 3.1 Basic Climate Physics: The Mean State -- 3.1.1 Energy Budget and Heat Transport -- 3.1.1.1 Global-Mean Fluxes -- 3.1.1.2 Spatial View of Heat Transport -- 3.1.2 The General Circulation of the Atmosphere -- 3.1.2.1 The Zonally Symmetric Circulation -- 3.1.2.2 The Zonally Asymmetric Circulation -- 3.1.2.3 The Weather Scale -- 3.1.2.4 Energy Transport -- 3.1.3 Stratospheric Circulation -- 3.1.3.1 Demarcation and Zonal-Mean Circulation.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Original Title Page -- Original Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Dedication -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: Reconstructing past climates -- Instrumental records -- Historical and archaeological data -- Environmental indicators -- Chapter 2: Climatic change in the Quaternary era -- The glacial/interglacial sequence -- The Younger Dryas event -- The Holocene optimum -- The medieval optimum and the Little Ice Age -- Twentieth-century warming -- Variability within the present climate system -- Chapter 3: The greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases -- The greenhouse effect -- Carbon dioxide -- Methane -- Nitrous oxide -- Chlorofluorocarbons -- Ozone -- Feedback mechanisms and the greenhouse effect -- Chapter 4: Predicting future climates -- Analogues from past climates -- General circulation models -- Validating GCMs -- Time-dependent models -- Greenhouse gas emission scenarios -- GCM scenarios for future climate -- Climatic variability -- Detecting the signal through the noise -- Chapter 5: The impact of global warming: sea level rise -- Measuring sea level -- The impacts of sea level rise -- Impacts on delta areas -- Impacts in tropical and subtropical areas -- The Antarctic ice sheets -- Responding to sea level rise -- Chapter 6: The impact of global warming on natural ecosystems and agriculture -- Carbon dioxide and plant growth -- Impact on ecosystems -- Tropical rain forests and climatic change -- Hydrological impacts -- Impact on agriculture -- World food supply -- Chapter 7: Responding to global warming -- The political framework -- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Glossary -- References -- Index.